Earbus blazes trails across Western Australia on Hearing Awareness Week
Across the globe organisations, governments and individuals will use World Hearing Awareness Day today to raise awareness about the importance of ear health.
The theme this year – Hearing care for all – is of particular significance to Earbus Foundation, which travels across Western Australia providing free checks and ear health care to Indigenous children, particularly in remote and regional communities.
World Hearing Day coincides with Hearing Awareness Week in Australia (1 to 7 March).
Earbus Foundation CEO Paul Higginbotham said that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people having “the worst ear health in the world” was a driving factor behind stark educational, employment and health disadvantages endured by Indigenous people.
“Aboriginal children suffer from Otitis Media – middle ear infection – at a rate far worse, and for far longer, than non-Indigenous children. On average, they have it for 32 months of the first five years of life, compared to 3 months for non-Indigenous kids. It has an adverse impact on every aspect of early childhood development.
“These children are already falling behind by the time they start school. If you want to close the gap in this country, effective ear healthcare for all Aboriginal kids from birth, is vital. It is critical if these kids are ever going to realise their innate potential.
“Earbus provides a practical, highly effective response to this challenge – a mobile, free unit delivering world class care where it is most needed. We have seen so many kids turn things around at school, and they are so much happier without the pain and frustration of poor ear health holding them back. Our close working partnerships with local schools, day-cares and Aboriginal Medical Services are the key to closing the ear health gap.
“These families and communities care about their kids and do their best for them, but it is hard without the material resources and the people with expertise on the ground – and that is our role, getting the qualified people with the right equipment and medicine out to where these children are.”
St Patrick’s Community Support Centre CEO Michael Piu, based in Fremantle, said Earbus also played a vital role in helping homeless people suffering from hearing loss.
“People experiencing homelessness already face significant barriers to achieving quality of life and this is further compounded by the effects of hearing loss, which has been shown to increase social isolation and reduce earning potential.
“Through our partnership with the Earbus Foundation, St Pat’s is committed to ensuring our community’s most vulnerable people have access to quality hearing assessments and aids, so that they can reach their full potential through listening and learning, those vital currencies of daily life that many of us take for granted,” said Mr Piu.